Watch stem



E. PIQUEREZ June 25, 1968 WATCH STEM 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 1, 1966 FIG.4

June 25, 1968 E. PIQUEREZ 3,389,550

WATCH STEM Filed July 1, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 June 25, 1968 E. PIQUEREZ 3,389,550

WATCH STEM Filed July 1, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet s United States Patent 3,389,550 WATCH STEM Ervin Piquerez, Bassecourt, Switzerland Filed July 1, 1966, Ser. No. 562,278 Claims priority, application Switzerland, July 14, 1965,

9 Claims. (CI. 58-63) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE In a watch case, a case-band having a radial opening in which is driven a tube, a knob is mounted in the part of the tube located outside the case-band, a stem is screwed in a part of the knob and penetrates inside the tube, the stern terminating at its inner end by a pinion meshing with the teeth of a ring rotatably mounted on the watch glass. The inner wall of the tube has on a part of its length flutes having a diameter less than the bore of the tube while the stem has also grooves on a part of its length whose diameter is greater than that of the stern, there being a shoulder for limiting the axial movement.

Various types of watches are known in which a ring is rotatably mounted at the interior of the case and can be actuated by an exterior control member.

In certain of these, a catch is engaged in a position of rest in some notches formed on the movable ring, in a way to immobilise it in a definite position, this catch being disengaged by the control member in order to effect an angular displacement of the said ring. Other devices use two pinions of which one, rigid with the control rod which can occupy two axial positions, the second pinion which engages with the movable ring, while in the other axial position of the rod, the two pinions are uncoupled.

All these mechanisms are housed in the interior of the case and from this fact can only be placed on movements or cases previously constructed with this in mind.

The object of the present invention is a watch case comprising a ring equipped with at least one reference mark and rotatably mounted under the glass, and a rod equipped with a pinion at its interior end, engaging with the teeth of the said ring, this rod being rigid with a control member, and being able to occupy two axial positions by sliding in the interior of a tube driven into the case, characterised by engaging means rigid with the said rod, coming into engagement in one of the two axial positions of this rod with corresponding engaging means rigid with the case, the arrangement being such that the said control member is rotatably locked in one of the said axial positions of the rod and unlocked in the other position.

Preferably the engaging means rigid with the rod comprises a plurality of flutes, and the engaging means rigid with the case comprises a plurality of projections. This flute-projection assembly can also be disposed at the interior of the control button where it is disposed radially with more room than at the interior of the said channel of the case-band. This advantageous arrangement permits moreover the construction of the rod to be simplified without complicating appreciably that of the control button.

According to a modification of the present invention, the said flute rigid with the rod is then carried by the control member and the said projection rigid with the case is carried by the exterior end of the tube driven into the case.

The device according to the invention has the advantage of being able to be adapted to any of the above- 3,389,550 Patented June 25, 1968 mentioned watches whatever, without the addition of supplementary pieces, reducing thus the encumberance at the interior of the case and requiring no particular assembling.

The accompanying drawings show by way of example three embodimnets of the present invention.

FIGURES 1 and 2 are sectional views of a first embodiment of the case, illustrated for two axial positions of the control rod;

FIGURE 3 is a cross-section'taken along line III--III of the control rod;

FIGURE 4 is a cross-section taken along line-lV-IV of the tube guiding the knob;

FIGURE 5 is a view in axial section of a second embodiment of the case;

FIGURE 5a is a cross-sectional view taken along line FIGURE 5b is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI of FIGURE 5 FIGURE 6 is an axial view of a third embodiment of the case;

FIGURE 6a is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII of FIGURE 6; and

FIGURE 6b is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII VIII of FIGURE 6.

The case shown comprises a case-band 1, pierced with a radial opening 2 in which is driven a tube 3. A control member or knob 4 is mounted on the part of the tube situated at the exterior of the case-band. A rod 5 is screwed in the part 6 of the knob and penetrates into the interior of the tube 3. This rod passes through the tube and-is terminated at its interior end by a pinion 7 which engages with the teeth 8 of the ring 9, rotatably mounted under the glass 13.

The interior wall of the tube 3 has on a part of its length some flutes 10 of a diameter less than the piercing of the tube. The control rod has also on a part of its length some flutes 11 of which the diameter is larger than that of the rod 5.

A shoulder 12 serves to limit the axial displacement of the knob.

In FIGURE 1, the knob 4 is pushed against the caseband 1, in this position the flutes of the rod 5 penetrate into the complementary openings situated between the flutes 10 of the tube 3 thereby preventing all rotation of the knob 4.

In FIGURE 2, the control member is displaced axially until the shoulder 12 of the rod 5 comes to abut against the tube 3 producing a declutching between the flutes 11 of the rod 5 and the flutes 10 of the tube 3. The knob 4 can then be rotatably displaced, driving by this fact the pinion 7 rigid with the rod 5, which causes an angu lar displacement of the ring 9. This latter can carry a guide-mark situated opposite the dial.

Referring now to FIGURE 5 which shows the rod in its locked position, the knob 4 is screwed on the rod 15 and carries on the periphery of its threaded sleeve 16 the flutes 17 shown in section in FIGURE 5a. These flutes are from this 'fact rigid with the rod during movement of the latter and come in the example described, firom fabrication with the sleeve 16 of the knob 4.

The flutes 17 cooperate with the projections 18, shown in section in FIGURE 5b, to assure the locking of the rod 15.

These projections are formed on the internal base of the free end 19 of the tube 20 driven into the case-band 21.

These projections come from fabrication with the tube.

A tight joint 22 is disposed between the tube, rigid with the case, and the peripheral sleeve 23 of the knob 4.

Referring now to FIGURE 6 which shows the rod in its locked position according to another embodiment of the present invention, the knob 4 is also screwed on the rod 25 and carries, on the interior periphery 31 of its exterior sleeve 101, the flutes 41 in the form of teeth, represented in section in FIGURE 6a. These flutes in the form of teeth are by this fact rigid with the rod during movement of the latter and come, in the example described are formed integrally with knob 4. These flutes cooperate with the projection 51 carried by the external periphery of the tube 71 driven into the case band 81 of the case and assure, by this fact, the locking of the rod. A tight joint 91 is formed at the free end of the tube between the internal surface of the tube and the external surface of the threaded interior sleeve 32 by which the knob 4 is screwed on the rod 25.

Although the unlocked positions of the rod have not been shown in these latter two embodiments of the invention, it is easy to imagine the flutes disengaged from the projections when the knob is drawn towards the left of the drawing. In this case the rod 15, or 25 respectively, can turn freely and drive the ring 100.

What is claimed is:

1. A watch case comprising (i) a case-band and a watch glass,

(ii) a toothed ring rotatably mounted under the glass,

the ring havingat least one guide-mark,

(iii) a tube rigidly fitted into an opening in the caseband with the axis of the tube lying parallel to a radius of the ring,

(iv) a control member including a manually operable knob and a rod, the knob and the rod being rigidly interconnected,

(v) the rod passing through the tube with the knob outside of the case,

(vi) the rod bearing a pinion inside the case, the pinion being rigidly connected to the rod,

(vii) the control member being movable axially of its rod,

(viii) the control member and the tube each being provided with engaging means adapted to engage with the cooperating engaging means on the other part in one axial position of the control member whereby the control member is immobilised with respect to the tube,

(ix) said engaging means disengaging from each other in another axial position of the control member whereby the control member is free to rotate about its axis,

(x) the pinion engaging with the teeth of the ring at least in said other axial position of the control member.

2. A watch-case according to claim 1 in which one of the engaging means comprises at least one flute, and the other engaging means comprises at least one projection.

3. A watch-case according to claim 2 in which a plurality of flutes are provided on the control member, and a plurality of projections are provided on the tube.

4. A watch-case according to claim 3 in which the projections are situated on the interior wall of the tube rigidly mounted in the case, and are formed in one piece with the tube.

5. A watch-case according to claim 3 in which the flutes rigid with the rod are carried by the control knob while the projections, rigid with the case are carried by the exterior end of the tube.

-6. A watch-case according to claim 3 in which the flutes are disposed at the external periphery of a threaded sleeve of the control knob while the projections are disposed on the internal periphery of the exterior end of the tube, the rod being screwed into the threaded sleeve.

7. A watch-case according to claim 3 in which the flutes are disposed at the internal periphery of an exteriorlsleeve of the control knob and the projections are disposed on the external periphery of the tube.

8. A watch-case according to claim 3 in which the flutes are formed in one piece with the control knob.

9. A watch-case according to claim 3 in which the projections are formed in one piece with the tube.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,319,415 5/1967 Von Aesch et a1. 5863 RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner.

GEORGE H. MILLER, Assistant Examiner. 

